Margaret Lambert Track and Field at Francis Lewis High School

New York-- Margaret Lambert received her latest acknowledgement in an effort to redress a wrong in history. Yesterday, Francis Lewis High School in Fresh Meadow, Queens, named their track and field complex, the Margaret Lambert Track and Field. 

It’s a simple act to name a track and field area after someone but not a simple declaration considering where Lambert is coming from.

In 1936, she won a regional meet in Stuttgart, Germany with a scissor style high jump of 1.60m (5’3”).  The height tied the national high jump record making her the number one high jumper in Germany. Although she was on the German Olympic team scheduled to compete in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, the Nazis eliminated her record and took her off the Olympic team because she was Jewish.  Her jump of 1.60m would be the gold medal height at the Berlin Olympics.

Sports Development in Treasure Beach and University of the West Indies (Mona)

Kingston--Jamaica welcomed the launch of two new sport development facilities last week.  The first happened in an open field in Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth and the second took place at the University of West Indies (UWI) in Kingston, St. Andrew.

Although Usain Bolt is bringing world attention to Jamaica's sporting abilities, both developments have been planned for years. 

With the international success of their soccer, netball, cricket, bobsled and track and field teams, there’s a movement in Jamaica to help nurture the raw talent on the island by improving and creating new sports infrastructures.

Jamaica International Invitational

Kingston-- Jamaica is the sprint capital but track and field is a global sport.  Usain Bolt has not only placed Jamaica in the center of the international media attention and become the latest icon for tourism to his country but he has also renewed global interest in track and field.

So it wasn’t really a surprise last year when Doug Logan, CEO of USA Track and Field proposed two dual meets between Jamaican and American sprinters to take place in their countries which would have occurred this month and next.  However, those tentative meets are currently on hold as other plans are being worked out.